WSU Spillman Field Day; grain harvest starting
Washington Ag Today July 8, 2009 Washington State University’s Spillman Agronomy Farm field day is coming up tomorrow, July 9th. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Field tours begin at 8 a.m. followed by a complimentary lunch program. Researchers will make presentations on advances in wheat, barley, dry pea, lentil, and chickpea breeding, genetics, and pathology, with emphasis on new directions in variety development to meet changing economics. Lunch program topics include supporting and giving to the Spillman Farm Endowment Fund and an update on the newly combined Washington Grain Commission. Spillman Agronomy Farm is located two miles southeast of WSU at 1452 Johnson Rd. The event is free and open to the public. This week’s Crop Weather bulletin from the Agricultural Statistics Service reports some early winter wheat harvesting has begun in Walla Walla County. The recent hot temperatures had winter wheat quickly ripening but also may have impacted grain filling and quality. The heat was also stressful for spring wheat in many areas. Earlier this year there was a special sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, for organic producers. Dave Brown, Assistant State Conservationist with the Washington state office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, says there was a good level of interest. Brown: “I think we ended up with well over 100 applications from all over the state from organic producers.” Brown says they are working on those contracts with organic producers right now. He expects there will be another sign up for fiscal year 2010. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ?
